IrishCentral's top five college football quarterback/wide receiver combinations

Golden Tate and Jimmy Clausen have been on fire for the Irish this year.

Batman has Robin. Penn has Teller. And every master chef has a sous chef. The same goes for quarterbacks when it comes to their receivers. And this season in college football, there’s no shortage of game-changing duos. There have been more A-list hookups than on the homepage of TMZ.com.

I present to you the top-five duos in all the land. Now remember, my criteria is mostly based on chemistry. Both players must exhibit fluidity and finesse, like Mickelson with a lob wedge.

1. Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate, Notre Dame

In a nutshell: Clausen’s a front-running Heisman candidate, and he might not be the best player on his team. Despite quarterbacking with an injured foot, he continues to make every throw down the stretch (well, except for one), most of them in the direction of you-know-who. Tate is just ridiculous, sneaky smooth. When he makes the catch in traffic, he leaves his mitts up away from defenders, squeezing the ball like he’s trying to deflate it. Those golden hands of his have hauled in 52 balls for 847 yards, which is good for third in the nation. You know these two will make tremendous plays. Every. Single. Week.

2. Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley, Texas

McCoy is another machine-behind-center. His leadership has taken Texas to huge wins over Oklahoma and Missouri on the road. Although his Heisman stock isn’t at an all-time high right now, he’s been able to find his playmakers early and often - when he’s not scrambling for first downs. And we all know of his roommate, Jordan Shipley, the shifty, receiver/returner extraordinaire. He’s already returned two punts back for touchdowns and has totaled 713 receiving yards. Also, it seems these two are just getting started.

3. Adam Weber and Eric Decker, Minnesota

I’m convinced Decker used to pack protein shakes and rib-eyes in grade school while normal kids were living by PB&J and sucking down Ecto Cooler. He’s a solid frame with amazing hands, and he never shies away from the hit. Weber has been able to find his sure-bodied receiver 50 times for 758 yards this season. Unfortunately, Decker’s foot injury finally caught up to him and we won’t be able to see him catch any more balls this year. See you in the pros, number seven.

4. Tony Pike and Marshawn Gilyard, Cincinnati

Even though Pike is out with an injury, this is a duo that has a spot cemented on the list. Together, they’ve led the Bearcats to a No. 8 BCS ranking and have become the second highest scoring team in the country. Last year, Cincy was riding a carousel of quarterbacks, but Pike shimmied his way to the starting spot, thanks to the chemistry he has shown with Gilyard (8 receiving TDs on the year). Like Salmon Sashimi, they're off the hook.

5. Todd Reesing and Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas

These two are the stat killers. Briscoe leads the Big 12 in receiving yards per game (121) and total receiving yards (731).Reesing throws for 315 yards every week and is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country. They already have a BCS bowl win over Virginia Tech together and are looking for more. But with the spotlight on them last week against Oklahoma, they failed to deliver the magic we’re so used to seeing. Still one of the best tandems, though.